Oiling an Antique Wall Clock

Prepare the Clock

• 1

  Slide the hood of the clock toward you, if it has a hood. Different styles of antique wall and grandfather clocks have different parts.

• 2

  Remove the right weight and pendulum, the left weight and pendulum, if they exist, and the clock movement. For clocks with pendulums you will need to maintain weight on the left side of the clock as you remove the movement to prevent movement damage, as it may fall.

• 3

  Remove the springs in the clock, if it has springs, and replace them with new ones.

• 4

  Hold the movement and remove the pins, if they exist, that secure the front plate and set the plate aside.

Oil

• 5

  Look inside the movement for the oil sinks. The oil sinks are located within the interior “T” of the movement pieces. Brass clock plates run across the top of the “T” on either side of the “T” stem. The stem is made up of the steel arbor at the bottom of the “T” and the pivot at the top of the stem. Between the brass clock plates and the top of the pivot are small valleys or grooves. These are your oil sinks.

• 6

  Squeeze one drop of oil in each oil sink from the syringe included with the clock oil.

• 7

  Apply a drop of oil to the weight pulleys, if they exist, and to the front plate posts as well.

• 8

  Apply oil to the newly replaced spring, if it exists, as well as the mainspring winder, the brass hammered wire, warming pallets, joints and contact surfaces that support the clock movement.